At the new NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting (NCAL), workloads are fraught with stress and strain—all to help the auto industry take a heavy load off future cars and light trucks.

To meet proposed federal fuel-efficiency standards—54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, or nearly double today’s standard—the industry is trimming heft from its vehicles, largely by substituting newer, lighter materials and through vehicle redesign. A 10-percent reduction in mass translates into estimated fuel savings of 6 to 7 percent. Lighter vehicles need less energy—fuel or electric power—to overcome inertia and the forces that oppose movement, such as tire friction. For example, trimming body weight, which accounts for about one-fourth of a car’s mass, opens the way to additional energy savings, achieved through:
• Smaller engines or batteries
• Reduced weight of tires, suspension, braking systems, and other components
• Decreases in energy required to speed up or slow down
• Reduced energy required to maintain a steady speed

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